1. Field of the Art
This invention relates to improved dry cake mixes which produce improved layer cakes. More particularly, the present invention relates to the addition of defined forms of citrus juice vesicle solids to such mixes in small but effective quantities to materially improve important characteristics of the finished baked cakes obtained from such mixes.
2. The Prior Art
The use of prepared mixes for baking cakes has received wide usage, particularly in home baking. So-called "dry" prepared mixes for layer cakes are made by combining sugar, flour, shortening, leavening and other ingredients including perhaps milk solids, egg solids, flavoring and coloring to form a free-flowing granular mixture. To prepare cake batters from these dry mixes for baking, liquid materials such as water, liquid shortening, milk and eggs are added and the combination is then beaten both to form a homogeneous mixture and to incorporate air. The resulting batter is then baked to obtain finished cakes.
Cakes can vary markedly in many respects, including such physical properties as density, grain size and grain size distribution, cell wall thickness, center to edge ratios, total moisture, moisture activity, crumb softness, moisture retentivity, etc. Cakes can also differ markedly in such organoleptic properties as texture, mouth feel, gumminess and off-tastes. Alteration of the dry mix formulation to realize cakes differing in any one attribute generally yield concommitant changes, often detrimental, in several other attributes. Thus, dry mix formulations typically must balance increases in a desired cake attribute against undesirable changes in others.
Traditionally, consumers preferred dry mixes which produced cakes having a fine, uniform, thin-walled grain structure and having fine crumbs. The air cells have been small, numerous and generally evenly distributed throughout the interior of the cake. Such cakes are prepared from high sugar to flour ratio cake mixes formulated with low protein or "cake" flour and with emulsified shortening. However, consumer taste fashion presently favors higher moistness-impression cakes characteristic of "from scratch" cakes. Such cakes are characterized by higher moisture levels and crumb softness.
Scratch cakes are typically prepared from "all-purpose" flour which has a higher protein level than cake flour. While scratch layer cakes may be superior in desired moistness, they are typically inferior in cake texture. Such cakes are muffin-like in texture and have non-uniform, widely-varying cell sizes, etc. Past efforts at realizing enhanced moistness, traditional texture layer cakes have included formulating dry mixes from cake flour and containing pre-gelatinized starch. Dry mixes having high gum levels have also been taught.
In spite of the above prior art attempts, formulation of enhanced moistness layer cake dry mixes is not accomplished without certain difficulties. Cakes prepared from mixes containing pre-gelatinized starch, gums, etc. while exhibiting enhanced moistness tend to exhibit decreased specific volumes, i.e., the volume of baked cake per unit weight of dry prepared mix, e.g., cc./g. Further, such cakes exhibit poor moisture retentivity and poor grain structure. Also, such cakes tend to exhibit such organoleptically undesirable attributes as gumminess.
Given the state of cake mix art as described, there is a continuing need for new layer cake dry mixes to prepare cakes which provide both enhanced moistness impressions of "from scratch" cakes and the texture of traditional layer cakes. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide layer cake dry mixes which provide finished cakes of both enhanced moistness and traditional, fine grain internal structure.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide enhanced moistness cake mixes having high specific volumes and which are free of organoleptically undesirable gumminess.
It has been surprisingly discovered that the above objectives can be realized and superior layer cake dry mixes and finished cakes baked therefrom can be provided by formulating dry mixes containing certain amounts of dried citrus juice vesicle solids.
Citrus juice vesicles are a by-product of commercial juice manufacture from the citrus fruit. After removal of larger materials such as peel and seeds, the citrus juice is screened to remove the pulp. A variety of terms have been loosely used to refer to this pulp material or parts thereof in its various physical or processed forms. It has been called at various times in its treated state, "juice vesicles", "juice sacs" or "finisher pulp". The juice vessicles are the membranes forming the juice sacs. During juicing operations, the juice sacs rupture and release their juice. Thus, for purposes of the present invention, "juice vesicles" is used synonymously for the residual juice sac material remaining after the release of the juice from the juice sac.
Juice sac material which has been drum dried, spray dried or solvent dried has been suggested for use as a food additive. Such suggested utilization is based upon the excellent water-binding and good oil-binding properties of the material. One reference (see "Processing and Potential Uses for Dried Juice Sacs", by J. W. Kesterson and R. J. Braddock, Food Technology, February 1973, pp. 52-54) suggests its utilization in a wide variety of food products but has no specific teachings of actual use.
However, notwithstanding such optimistic speculation concerning potential usage, difficulties have arisen in the practical efforts to utilize the juice vesicle material or "protopectin" material derived therefrom even in additive amounts. Several art efforts have been made at incorporating small amounts into breads or cakes of treated protopectin derived from citrus residue including from dried juice vesicles (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,952,548 issued Sept. 13, 1960 to L. T. Work; U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,756 issued June 22, 1965 to W. Aurell; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,020 issued July 20, 1965 to L. T. Work). These patents disclose elaborately treating the protopectin with various lipids or colloid materials to decrease the rate or amount of hydration of the protopectins. Without such treatment, the patents teach that the rapid hydration of these extremely hydrophilic materials causes doughs or batters to set quickly into non-elastic solids which are unsuitable for bread or cake production. Alternatively, it has been taught that cakes containing small amounts of untreated protopectin can be realized by formulating doughs to low gluten flours such as potato flour. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,865,757 issued Dec. 23, 1958 to W. Aurell.)
Accordingly, it has been surprisingly discovered that a particular citrus fruit residue, juice vesicles, can be incorporated into cake mixes using conventional flour without need for elaborate treatment with various coatings to be applied to the citrus fruit residue.